MGM Springfield To Be Awarded State's 1st Casino
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — State gambling officials have voted unanimously to award the state's first casino license to MGM Springfield, pending acceptance by the Las Vegas-based casino giant of a number of proposed terms and conditions.
But the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, voting after two consecutive days reviewing the $800 million project, did not address a key request by MGM: temporary relief from millions of dollars in state fees and other payments that come due when the casino license - the state's first - is formally awarded on Friday.
Under state law, a gambling operator must pay an $85 million state fee within 30 days of being awarded a license.
Among the additional conditions the commission proposed were requirements around reporting hiring data and mitigating downtown impacts from the massive construction project.
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